Pier construction



1. E. SNELL. PIER CONSTRUCTION.

APPLICATION FILED APR. I9, |920.

Patented Sept. 20, 1921.

' Vwith wooden piles,

JOSEPH E. sNEEL, oirNEitT 0E NEW YORK,

ARK, NEW IJERSEY, AssiGNoR To HENRY sTEERs, TNC., N. Y.7 a CORPORATION OE NEW YORK.

TIER CONSTRUCTION.

Specification of Letters Patent'. Pateintd Sept'o, 1921.

i Application led April 19, 1920. Serial No. 374,990.

To all whom t may concern.- d

Be it known thatl I, JosErH. E. SNELL, a

citizen of the. United States, residing in Newark, county of Essex, and Stateof New Jersey,

ful Pier Construction, ing is a specification.

This invention wharves, piers,

have invented a certain new and useof which Vthe fOllOW.-V

relates to improvements in quays, bulkheads, bridges and analogous waterfront structures and has for its objects-.-

F-irst, to provide a cheap construction which may be built with pre-cast'reinforced concrete elements whereby underwater construction will be avoided.

Second, to prevent injury from fire due substances floating on the surface of the water.

- Third, topcheapen the construction of such a structure and Fourth, to protect the fire resisting device from injury by drift wood orv vessels.

These and further objects will more fully appear from the following specification and vaccompanying drawings considered together or separately.

This lapplication is a continuation in part of an applicationfiled by me on or about the 4th day of December,

1916, and given VSerial Number 134,837

- In the drawings@- Figure 1 is aside of a pierV embodyingmy elevationl of a portion invention.

Fig. 2-is a sectional view on the line 2, 2 of Fig..1.

- Fig. 3 is a plan view of the portion of a I curtain. Y

Fig.` 4 is a per sections of acurtain.

spective Fig. 5, shows a modification. I

In` all of the views thesaine reference character.y v

out myf-invention I provide nated 'by In v'carrying a pier 1 with a lireproof tain is arranged the front and sides like parts are desigcurtain 2.. The curpreferably vertically along of the pier. It extends from below the level of mean low water up to the concrete retaining wall of the pier when `such is l, employed. The pierin the embodiment chos for illustration is formed caps and deck. This latter is placed as near to the mean low water lineas possible; but 1 have foin) It will be wet at each tide,

d in practice that ligas@- to the structure to the burning of inflammable l suitabl fender chocks 16 viewiof one of the i line .or similar fuels are floating upony the water in quantities, and are ignited, that a pier so made ywill catchafireY and burn even if the caps anddeck are wet. By arranging the fireproof curtain to extend from below the mean low water line 3 up to the concrete retaining `wall 11, and making it extend down sufficiently far so that it will always l bey under the surface of the water, the Oils floating on the surface/thereof cannot Yget under they dock and burn it.k The details of construction are shown in the embodiment ofthe inventionillustrated. The pier is supported upon piles.y These are sawed o close to the mean low water-level 3. The side bearing piles 5a are sawed olf somewhat shorter and support the side cap'r'. The cross caps 7 are supported on the side cap and also the upper yendsy of the piles 5. The deck 8 is then laid on the `cross caps.

The outer ymember :of *the` deck is v.in the form of a chine piece 9 preferably thicker than the deck planks. On the deck is a key 10 .and surroundingfthe key and chine piece is the concrete retaining wall 11.'y Thisl is molded in'place inthe usualmanner. 1 n the deck and behind the wall is the usual earth fill and ballast as illustrated, y

and on the latter are illustrated the tiesy and rails of the railway carried by the pier. On the outer upper., edge lof the retaining wall is shown a backing log 14 Vand von its surface yare bolted fender wales 15 which support between the chocks .are arranged fender piles v17. These piles serve as a means forprotecting the fireproof cur- .tain from injury vdiie to floatinglogs, drift wood orvessels.

.The improved curtain of reinforced concrete. ,tions of vsuitable length veniently handled.-` Adj is preferably` made It is made. in secso as to to be conacent to the upper yedge of the curtainis a ledge 18preferably with the rest of the curmolded integrally i right angle thereto.

tain and extendingat -a Within thecurtain metal reinforcements 19. 4 rFliese reinforcel ments may be bent to L shape so that they extend upward throu h the curtain and also through the ledge. uitablepipe thimbles .i 2() are located at roper intervals in the curl.are suitable deformed tain and ledge or` admission of fastening bolts The bolts 22 pass through the pipe thiinbles in the side of the curtain and also throughthesdecap .6 which forms 2. bl'

shouldl notY be ture.

-the edges of the curtain;

ing for the curtain between the piles 5f* so that each section of the curtain, however short it ma be, is supported by at least one bolt 22. T e of the curtain and through the. chine piece 9. The bolts are set up with suitable fastenings, for example, the washers and nuts illustrated.

In the vertical edges of each curtain section is a kvertical groove 24. This groove is open at the to but closed at the bottom as illustrated in Fig. 4. The purpose of this groove is to contain grouting introduced fromthe top after the sections are assembled. This grouting will act as a key to close the joint between contiguous sections and also to add strength to the entire struc- In assemblin the device, after the chine piece and decking vare laid, `the curtain is lowered in place and rests with its ledge in engagementwith the top of the chine pieceand its `body portion resting against the outer side of the side cap 6. It is then boltedin place. In order that the workmen may reach the horizontal bolts 22 and the lower ends of the bolts 23, one or more of the deck planks adjacentto the chine piece placed in position until the said bolts are in place andthe nuts set up.

The concrete retaining wall is then molded Y in position in the usualy manner with anchor bolts 25 projecting from its outer face, the concrete engaging with the eyes 20 and the upper ends of the bolts 23 as well as with The backing log 14 and fender wales 15 maythen be bolted in place after theconcrete is set and the molds V are removed. VWhen completed the pier will i fc5 ,wail

or may be dispensed with altogether.

have the'appearance of a concrete wall extending from the shoreV line outward and down to and. below the mean low water line. It is, therefore. impossible forinflammable substances lioating. on the surface of the water to getvunder the pier.

y It will be understood that ,theY structure shown'in'Fig. 3 is but a portion of one side O f a pier. outward frornvthey shoreand the curtain encircles all of that portion ofit with which the'wate'r *is in' contact, in otherwords, the structure is provided with a ireproof belt which extends to the level ofy mean low water and preventsy burning substances Vfrom reachjingvthennder side thereof. 4

r hile I have. shown aconcrete retaining carried on the deck I do not desire to limit myself to such construction. The retaining wall maybe. of any suitable material The deckmay'be situated above high Water mark fand formthe surface 'of thepierin which case' thev curtain will extend from above'high They rebolts 23 pass through the ledge y v The complete structure extends even if such a wall should take fire the flames may, on account of the the wall, be easily extinguished.

In the modification shown in Fig. 5, the wall 11a instead of being a retaining wall is shown as the wall of a superstructure, and may be extended upward indefinitely. The ties 12a of the railroad structure may be sup ported in the wall 11a and a roof, if desired, may be Vsupported on the same wall at a distance above the tracks. In this embodiment of the invention the deck 8a will be the floor of the first story of thepier, and may be above the high water level as shown in Fig. 5, or it may even be below the high` vwater level as shown in Fig. 2. f f j In accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes I have described the'principle of my invention, together .with the apparatus which I now consider to represent the best embodiment thereof, but I desire'to have ity understood that the apparatus shown is merely illustrative, and that the invention may be carried out in other ways. Having now described my invention what vI claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is: y

l. A pier comprising a deck of inflamcast reinforced concrete curtain carried'by and depending below the'deck andbelowv the.

water line, and means between the levelsfo'f high and `low water for securing the'fcurtain to the support.

2. A pier comprising a deckiof mable material, inflammable supportsfor supporting the deck above water,'.and a'p'retain to the support,-the said curtainf being composed of short sections arranged/.end-t'oend and grouted to form a unitaryv structure. 3. A pier comprising a deck lof inflamaccessibilityvof Y vmable material, inflammable supportsv for supporting the deck above water,and afpremable material supported above water on'in- Y Y' flammable piles, a curtain of pre-cast-xrein forced concrete' inclosing all of thatpo'rtion of the pier above the water, said curtain extending below the level Vof lowwater, the

curtain being composed of short sections each having an angular extension for engagement with the upper surface offthedeck, the sections being arranged end-to-end and extending from the shore line at one l sideof the pier around the entire structure to the shore line atfthe opposite side, the vertical joints between the sections being groutedito 'make said joints waterproof, bolts fory securing the extensions tov the'deck, and bolts forlise( Curing the sections 't0 the structure -beiow the deck. s

` 4. A pier comprising( a deck'vlofiinflaiiivmablematerial supported above water on i supported on said deck upper ends embedded 'anchor the curtain in. place.

. tween the section being grouted to make said vjoints waterproof, nipples embedded in the extensions, bolts extending through .the nip.- ples for securing'the extensions to the deck, nipples extending through the-sections below the deck, and bolts passing through said nipples for securing the sections to the structure below the deck.

5. A pier comprising a deck ofinflammable material, a concrete wall, extending above the high water level and secured to and along the outer edges thereof from the shore line at one side of the pier around the entire structure to the shore line at the opposite'side, a plurality of inflammable piles for supporting the deck above the low water level, and a curtain composed of pre-cast reinforced concrete sections extending from the concrete wall down below the low water level and having their in thewall to thereby 6. A pier comprising a deck of inflammable material, a concrete wall, extending level and secured to above the high'water deck along the outer and supported on said edges thereof from the shore line at one 4side of the pier around the entire structure to the shore line at the opposite side, a plurality of inflammable piles for supporting the deck above the low 'crete sections extendingfrom the concrete wally down below the low water level, said water level, and -a curtain composed of pre-cast reinforced consections having their upper ends embedded in the wall to therebyfanchor the curtain in place, and bolts for securing the sections to the piles between, the levels of high and low water. Y

7. A pier comprisingva deck of inflammable material, a concrete wall, extending above the high water level and secured to and supported on said thereof from the shore line at one side of the pieraround the entire structure to the shore line at the opposite side, a plurality of indeck along the ou'ter edges flammable piles for supportlng the deck above the low water level, and a curtain composed of pre-'cast reinforced .concrete sections extending from the concrete wall Ydown below the low water -level andV having their upper ends embedded in the wall to thereby anchor the curtain in place.

This specification signed andY witnessed this 17th day of April, 1920. f JOSEPH E. SNELL.

Witnesses: y

A.E. BENTON, JAS. F. COLEHAN. 

